Product Description

When a senator's 5-year-old daughter is abducted, the FBI brings in Special Agent MacKenzie Graham to analyze the kidnapper's vengeful written threats. Working alongside Iraq war veteran John Crowfeather, she scours the Internet for clues. Time is of the essence in any kidnapping investigation---but little Zoe has diabetes. Can Kenzie and John beat the clock? 304 pages, softcover from Abingdon.

Publisher's Description

The clues to saving a child are hidden in the kidnappers words. Can Kenzie decode the messages in time?

Author Bio

Linda J. White is the author of FBI thrillers, including Seeds of Evidence and Bloody Point, both of which feature tactics and research made possibly by her husbands 25 years of service to the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. The mother of three adult children, Linda also serves as the assistant editorial page editor of a daily newspaper in Somerville, Virginia, where she and Larry make their home. Find out more about the author at LindaJWhite.com.

When have words had this much meaning . . . . . . . when a little girl's life is at stake. "Words of Conviction" begins quickly and ends with a "bang" (literally) ; a heart-pounding, intrigue-filled, suspenseful story with just a whisper of impending romance.

When Senator Bruce Gable's five year old daughter disappears from his home;, his ego-centric, under-handed, lucrative business deals may just have come back to haunt him. The FBI brings in Special Agent Mackenzie Graham, a forensic psycholinguist and Agent John Crowfeather,a Navajo veteran, to discern the encrypted meanings underneath the kidnapper's digital messaging. The Senator has many enemies, in addition to supposed "friends", who have plenty of reason to use his young daughter as a bargaining chip. It's up to Kenzie and Crow to locate this little girl and bring resolution to a crumbling family, and perhaps even to resolve some of their own lingering doubts and fears.

I read and enjoyed Linda White's previous novel "Seeds of Evidence" and she has definitely scored again with "Words of Conviction".

Linda J. White in her new book, "Words Of Conviction" published by Abingdon Press brings us into the lives of Mackenzie Graham and John Crowfeather.

From the back cover: There's nothing as convicting as words that threaten your daughter's life.

You want your kid back? Do just as I say. You do not know who I am. But I've studied you, you and your family. I've been watching you. You've been using people. Because you're greedy. Now, it's payback time.

Terrifying for any parent, these words are especially grim for Senator Bruce Grable, whose guilt may be the reason his five-year-old daughter, Zoe, has disappeared. Or is it because of his wife, whose words make her sound more the victim than their daughter? Or their nanny, whose silence harbors her own secrets?

One thing is for sure: The words hold the clues to finding Zoe alive. And it's up to Special Agent Mackenzie Graham, a forensic psycholinguist, and FBI agent John Crowfeather to decode the messages in time.

A kidnapping, FBI Agents and a psycholinguist and those are just some of the ingredients in this very clever mystery. Get ready for an up all night thriller. Kenzie is a psycholinguist which means she can build a profile of the subject from the words he uses and the way he uses them. Both Kenzie and John are going to need this skill if they have any hope of rescuing Zoe. Ms. White knows how to ratchet up the tension so that your nerves are strung tight as you work with Kenzie and John to figure out who the kidnapper is and rescue Zoe. "Words Of Conviction" is filled with intrigue, deceit and a complex mystery. On top of everything Ms. White manages to weave a romance into this story that just captivates you. She makes you care for all the characters and their journey. This is also just plain fun and exciting as well. Don't start this book late at night because it will cost you sleep. I look forward to more from this very talented author.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Abingdon Press. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Have you ever eaten something at a restaurant that's touted as "for a limited time only"? They've offered McRib sandwiches at McDonalds on a limited basis, and the pretzel burger at Wendys has been for a limited time. Isn't it exciting when you hear that one of these items are "back"? Back in 2005, I picked up a book for the church library called "Bloody Point". I devoured it. I couldn't wait until the author came out with a new book___ It took 8 years for that to happen. Last year Linda White was back with her first book in 8 years called "Seeds of Evidence" and she was just as exciting as ever. Now, I have "Words of Conviction" to pour through. This is one happy guy right here ïŠ

Special Agent MacKenzie (Kenzie) Graham has just finished taking down Senator Grable in a sting to catch him taking bribes. A successful win for the system and a chance to wind down from all of the intense work is interrupted with the notification that the Senator's daughter has just been kidnapped. Kenzie must now work side by side with Senator Grable as they track down the clues to where his daughter may be and who may have kidnapped her. Using her expertise in linguistics, Kenzie works on baiting the kidnapper through an online bulletin board system. Late word from the family doctor that his daughter has diabetes ratchets the situation up several notches. Who is behind this kidnapping and what do they want? Can Kenzie read into the messages to convince the kidnapper to keep the girl safe? Do they find the girl before her diabetes takes over? Put away the dictionary and go BUY THIS BOOK!!!

To say that this book is a great book is like saying the Eiffel Tower is a great landmark. This book does what I enjoy most in a great work of fiction, it teaches me at the same time that it entertains me. I've always been fascinated by words and word usage, guess that's why I've always been a voracious reader. In the character of Kenzie, we see some of the inner workings of wordsmithing and how what we say really can tell more than just what's on the surface. The characters in this book aren't all Christians, but they have a regular interaction with someone that is. The story is very fast-paced, even considering that a lot of what the book is about it the waiting game concerning a kidnapping. There is enough going on in the side stories that tie everything together to keep it moving. I will say that I didn't really like Kenzie, she seemed a bit aloof, but in the end I found out that her traits were a result of who she was and the environment she was raised in, but that with the right motivation everyone can overcome their past.

Is this a "guy's book"? If you consider a book concerning bribery stings, kidnappings, motorcycles and more to be books that guys would enjoy, then yes, this is definitely a guy's book. Throw in suspense and intrigue and murder, oh my! You've got the makings of a great work of Christian fiction.

I loved Words of Conviction. The characters and plot were intricate and well developed, not stereotypical. The characters came alive to me on the page. The setting is DC (and beautifully done) and one character is full-blooded Navajo. Another twist is the that the heroine is a psycholinguist--someone who analyses words people say or write in interviews, in ransom notes, or to help identify suspects, etc.

The story has to do with a child's kidnapping. She's a senator's daughter, so we get a look inside some of the intricacies on the Hill.

The book rates up there with Irene Hannon's and Dee Henderson's except it's lighter on the romance side. The suspense, the depth of knowledge of law enforcement, the faith elements are all there. Linda White, of course, knows FBI work because her husband was in the FBI for 25 years.

Some books force romantic characters into a "proposal" epilogue. This is not the case here, but the epilogue does what I feel an epilogue is supposed to do and shows the character's development after the events that happened in the book.

This is White's third book. I've read all three and feel this is the best, although I liked both Bloody Point and Seeds of Evidence, too.

This book is absolutely spell-binding, has heart-thumping action and is built within the framework of FBI agents along with local officials trying to locate a little girl with a new medical diagnosis that makes finding her quickly a top priority! Zoe is a little girl of a senator. This senator is already being dogged for questionable and ethical procedures while in office. These are only two characters who grab the reader's attention. Then, add other unique characters, put it all together and out comes a top notch tale.

One aspect of the novel is the background of a couple characters that I hadn't read before such as an FBI agent who specializes in linguistics. There is another agent named John Crowfeather who has served as a Marine during a war and now helps fight against those whose only desire is to bring death and destruction to others. All the while questions of individual faith whether existent or not are being wrestled with by some in the story, especially when they witness such brutality. One man at the FBI work site named Scott lives his faith unashamedly before his coworkers along with sharing his faith no matter what the situation.

There are opportunities to see the romance budding between a couple of agents, a devoted husband and father along with a marriage on the edge of exploding apart. So while the clock ticks and tension builds in the story, the personal thoughts, lives and interactions of various people in the book make for an interesting and compelling read. I cannot imagine what it must take to be a Christian out in the field, solving cases, fighting crime and not always being able to save a life.

The novel, Words of Conviction, is Linda J. White's second story. Her others are Bloody Point & Seeds of Evidence, which I plan on reading very soon! Reading FBI thrillers is fascinating for me and kept me turning pages until I was finished. To me, an interesting field of study introduced in the book is the study of language whether spoken or written. The special field of linguistics brought up was intriguing and a stroke of genius to help expand the understanding of the many talents brought in to solve a case. I don't know if this really exists or is used by agencies to fight crime, but it was a great addition to this tale. I plan on reading what comes next from the pen of author Linda J. White. I sure hope you will join in for the adventure as well!